Americans are witnessing a real-time dismantling of due process in this country, particularly when it comes to immigration enforcement. Last week, President Donald Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to label Venezuelan immigrants as members of the Tren de Aragua gang and summarily ship them to foreign prisons. On Thursday, The New York Times reported that administration lawyers determined the 18th-century law, historically reserved for wartime scenarios, could allow "federal agents to enter homes without a warrant."
The civil liberties we all value and that form a foundational part of U.S. democracy are quickly disappearing under the guise of "national security" and "state secrets." It's a big reason why U.S. District Judge James Boasberg called the Trump administration's initial response to his order blocking the deportation flights of Venezuelan migrants under the act "woefully insufficient."
"They're not gonna stop us," border czar Tom Homan declared on Fox News. "We're not stopping. I don't care what the judges think, I don't care what the left thinks, we're coming."
That level of open defiance didn't come out of nowhere.
This is a preview of Julio Ricardo Varela's latest article. Read the full column here.
